Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, the mission that landed the first men on the moon. Millions watched as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface on July 20 of that year, which makes this coming Saturday the anniversary of that date. As a result, there are a lot of remembrances and TV specials (like this one on CBS News) this week. And in D.C. a truly amazing celebratory event is underway at the Washington Monument. Per NPR’s coverage:
“The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a life-size projection of the Saturn V rocket on the Washington Monument on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday…The projection-mapping artwork will occupy 363 of the monument’s 555 vertical feet.”
Tuesday, July 16, is behind us, but the projection can still be seen tonight (Wednesday, July 17) and tomorrow night (Thursday, July 18) between 9:30pm and 11:30pm. Then, on Friday and Saturday nights, a “17-minute film that re-creates the Apollo 11 launch” called “Apollo 50: Go for the Moon” will be played on the face of the Washington Monument three times each night, at 9:30pm, 10:30pm and 11:30pm. A score from Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal and archival footage on separate screens will accompany the film, per DCist. And everything will be free.
If you’re anywhere near D.C. today through Saturday, a trip to the Washington Monument may be in order. And if you’re near Houston, TX, you might check out the ticketed celebration at Space Center Houston.
Washington Monument transformed into Apollo 11 rocket that carried Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on their historic mission to the moon pic.twitter.com/PUC861PwQM
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 17, 2019
More Apollo 11
- Video: CBS News Piece on Apollo 11
- 2 Great Apollo 11 Books to Help You Celebrate the Mission’s 50th Anniversary
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